The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-04-24
A Doubtful Statement.

The statement published in our dispatches
yesterday, which was taken from a Wash
ington special to the Missouri Republican,
one of the ablest Democratic papers in the
country, that the President Is. not a candi-
date for a second term, and viii not accept
a denomination if it is offered to
him, Is very surprising
one. The chances are, however. that there
is some mistake about il The President, it
seems announced his determination to a
Senator, who Immediately repeated it TO the
newspaper correspondents. But may not
the Senator have misunderstood the Presi-
dent They were talking about appoint
ments, and the President is reported to have
said that the charge which was CON
tinually appearing in the public
prints that his course with respect to APP
pointnents was shaped by desire to secure
a denomination was without foundation. 1t
is probable that the President did say some
thing of this sort, and he may have said that
he was not asking a second term, but it will
require an authorized statement to convince
the country that he has determined not to
accept a denomination under any circum-
stances.
Fair-minded men will agree that the
President, in making appointments, has
kept steadily in view the best interests of
the country He has made few mistakes,
because those whom he trusted deceived
him, but the great majority of his APP
pointees are capable and worthy men, and
are not expected to work for the Presidents
nomination. All that is expected of them
is faithful discharge of their duties
Assuming that the President doesn't want
second term. it is hardly probable that he
would communicate the fact to the public
in any such roundabout way as this dispatch
to the Missouri Republican. 1t seems, ac-
cording to this dispatch, that he doesn't
think the public will believe him when he
says that he would not accept renOmina-
ton, and that, like a prisoner anxious to be
free, he is looking forward with pleasure to
the time when he will not be burdened with
the cares of great Office.
This sort of talk doesn't sound reasonable
Mr.. Cleveland wanted to be President, and
he has given no sign that he is tired of ex-
ercising the power and performing the du-
ties which belong to that Office If he has
Hidu0 up Ills D1iIlu UIlaU ne QOeSn Z want q
second term, and is anxious for the coun-
try to know and believe it, he has only to
instruct his private secretary, Col. Lamont,
to make a statement to that effect to the
correspondents, and he can rest assured that
the country will believe it, The statements
which the country doesn't believe are those
which some correspondent says that some
prominent man says he has received from
the President
The President understands very well that
he ought not to make any statements at this
time respecting a denomination. His party
made him President and if it thinks his re-
nomination is essential to its success he
should be willing to be a candidate again
whether he wants to or not There are very
few men who would decline a denomination,
and it is doubtful if Mr.. Cleveland is one
of them. He is just in the prime of life and
he believes that he has been a successful
President. He has certainly had as much
praise and as little censure as any of his
predecessors. He will be much better
equipped for a second than he was for the
first, and will, therefore, be less liable to
make mistakes. He will continue to be re-
garded as the probable Democratic nomi-
nee unless he authorizes a statement to be
made that he will not accept a renomina-
ton.